Audio CD review:
Harvey Danger - Little Round Mirrors

Harvey Danger - Little Round Mirrors

Band: Harvey Danger Title: Little Round Mirrors Rating: Release Date: 2006-10-10 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Little Round Mirrors 2: Oh! You Pretty Things - Harvey Danger, Bowie 3: We Drew the Maps 4: Wrecking Ball 5: Radio Silence

Interesting "Little" single I have been a big fan of Harvey Danger for a long, long time, and naturally I was quite excited when they got back together and released Little By Little. . in late 2005. And in that, I was also excited about possible singles (i. e. , b-sides) being released soon thereafter. However, I was not very impressed with Cream And Bastards Rise, which was the first single off the album. And being that there was only one true b-side on this single, and I am often turned off by a surplus of live tracks as b-sides, I waited awhile to get it. But once I did (I needed a couple extra dollars on my order to get the free shipping), I was more than pleasantly surprised with how good the "live" tracks were--particularly "Wrecking Ball", one of my all-time favorite HD tracks. First, it should be noted that the one supposed true b-side, "We Drew The Maps", actually features HD's bassist, Aaron Huffman, on lead vocals (The Long Winters' commander John Roderick takes over on bass). I still like the song; its focus on drums and somber style are appealing in their own right, and it's extremely catchy. However, the true gems on this single are the "live" tracks; but in fact, they were not genuinely recorded live. They were recorded in studio, which thus gives them a nice studio feel. "Wrecking Ball" and "Radio Silence"--the two closing tracks from HD's debut album--are fantastic; the cello is as beautiful as ever. I actually prefer the "Wrecking Ball" featured here (now). The other live-in-studio track is a cover of David Bowie's "Oh! You Pretty Things", a concert staple during their last tour. They do it justice and add their own, jolly kick to it. . . as only Sean Nelson could. And for being a live-in-studio recording, it is surprisingly well-orchestrated. And that, is a staple of Harvey Danger. Overall, this is a great single, well worth the price it's being offered for. I applaud Harvey Danger for the time they took in, basically, re-recording "Wrecking Ball" and "Radio Silence" and for the nice Bowie cover and for the unconventional b-side. Really, though, all the tracks on this single are true b-sides; the "live" label attributed to some of the songs is not entirely fitting. They all need to be heard. Make sure that if you have obtained Little By Little. . . (which, of course, features the same "Little Round Mirrors" found here) and enjoyed it, that you take the time to look into the b-sides found here. Hopefully, now, Harvey Danger is here to stay. At least it looks that way. You can see a complete list of all Harvey Danger discography, or go back to the Harvey Danger tabs